Bridge indicator



Patented July 8, 1941 UNITE STAT-ES PATENT orrics 2,24s,s56'namon'mnrcA'ron I Armin Jl Dieckmann, Saginaw, Mich. Application June21, 1939; Serial No. 280,383 r 2 Claims. (c1.116 1s1) This inventionrelates to improvements in indicators for use in the playing of games,more especially in the playing of l contract or auction bridge. In theseparticular games, especially in contract bridge, it is necessary to showthe standing of the players so that the persons engaged in the game willbe able to determine the manner of bidding and playing. Currently useddevices for this purpose are not always satisfactory in most instancesbecause the type of the table is encumbered in one way or another.Theinstant ding and play.

Second, to provide an indicator of the foregoing kind which is easilyand in most/instances desirably embodied in a bridge tabletop so as toavoid getting in the way of the player and to be instantly accessiblefor use.

Third, to provide an indicator colored signal band.

Fourth, to provide an indicator wherein the chief principle is that of apush and pull to denote the vulnerable or not vulnerable stage in theplay, the peripheral numerals always being.

in view and common to both stages.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross section of a. portion of. a bridge table showing theindicator in place.

Figure 2 is a plan view of said portion: of the table illustrating therelationship of the indicator to the window in the table top. 1

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the movable indicator device.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating device wherein. theindicator head is both revoluble and axially movable in respect to awindow in the carrier of. said device thereby to either display theperipheral numerals above or in combination with a the modification ofthe indicator device to suit a thin table top.

Figure 7 is a partially plan and sectional view illustratingthe'embodiment of the indicator in the'table ledge.

The indicator device, generally designated I:

in all forms of the invention, comprise a member which is adapted to beeither pushed or pulled andturned in order to control the visibility ofthe indicia and signal bands 2, 3, through an opening'd herein known asthe window in a car'- rier 5. The indicator device I is capable of beingmade in any one of several ways.

} In Fig. 1 said device comprises a cylindrical head 6 on the peripheryof which the indicia and signal bands 2, 3, are applied contiguously toeach other. The indicia band comprises a series of members I whichextend circumferentially' of' the head 6, and may, if desired,'beseparated from each other by division lines 8 or some suit ableequivalent-thereof. Such divisions are, hoW-' ever, not essential, butthe spacing is so arranged that a blank 9 is left between adjacentnumbers, said blanl; denoting a neutral or starting point.

he S gnal band 3 is usually red, but it may consist of some other color.

The material from which m 6 is composed is not essentialtothe'invention. The 'substances'from which it may commonly be;made*comprises wood, metal, plastic material or a} combination of anyof these materials. The head 6 is carried by a shaft IS. .The head isaffixed to the shaft a slight distance in from one end so as to define atrunnion l l whichhas slida ble and turnable support in a bearing l2. Asimilar bearing l3 supports the shaft IB adjacently to its other end,said end being equipped with a finger-piece I4 by which the entire indicator device is capable of being turned or pushed and pulled.

Free motion in these respects is prevented by' a spring clip l5 whichacts as a brake (Fig. 4). Said spring bears up against the shaft, forwhich purpose itpreferably has a curved terminal Hi.

The tension on the spring I5 is sufiiciently great to hold the indicatordevice in any of its adjusted, Said clip, like the bearings I2, 13, is

positions. secured to the previously mentioned carrier. 5 which in thisembodiment comprises a table top.

The opening-4 i usually glazed at I1, and the margin of the-opening isbeveled at [8 to'prevent the cards from being caught against saidopening.

The periphery of the head 6 comes close to the glass insert [1, and forthat purpose the nether the cylindrical head side of the table isrecessed at I 9 so as to admit a part of the head 6.

The end shoulders 29, 2i, of the recess l9 provide stops for limitingthe sliding motion of the indicator device. The indicia band 2 is broadenough so that the members 1 which are centered therein will always showthrough the window 4 whether the indicator device is in the full ordotted line positions (Fig. 1). When said device is in the full lineposition, the signal band 3 is covered by that portion of the carrierbetween an edge of the window 4 and the shoulder 20. The numerals I,however, show clearly. When the device is pulled to the dotted lineposition, wherein the head 6 is limited by the shoulder 2|, the numeralsstill show, but the signal band 3 is now also revealed through theWindow, indicating that the two who are partner in the game arevulnerable.

It is observed in Fig. 1 that the table top 5 is much thicker than thecorresponding table top in Fig 6. For that reason the head 6 is made asa separate cylinder on the shaft Ii), and sufiiciently larger than theshaft to enable bringing the periphery of the cylinder up close to thewindow 4. In Fig. 6, which illustrates a thin table .top, there is nonecessity for making the shaft and head as separate parts. The indiciaand signal bands 2, 3, are applied to one end of a uniformly sizedcylinder 22, the other end 23 of which comprises the equivalent of theforeoing finger-piece I The window 4 is now a simple unglazed openingwith beveled edges at l8.

A screw 24 is driven into the banded end of the cylinder 22. This screwis adjustable by turning it in or out with a screw driver so as to varythe distance of its head 25 in respect to a bracket 26 in which theshank of the screw has slidable and turning bearing. It is thus that oneend of the indicator device is supported, the other end being held by aledge 2! depending from the edge of the table.

Figure '7 illustrates a further modification wherein the indicatordevice I is embodied in the marginal ledge 23 of the table. Thisledge isheavier in construction than the ledge 21 in Fig. 6. It is bored at 29to slidably and turnably contain the indicator device. The bore isclosed at 30 and its otherwise open end is partly capped by a metalcorner-piece 3|. Said corner-piece has an opening 32 in which-the shaft[0 is slidable and turnable. Said shaft comprises the re-' ducedextension of What is again termed a head 6, said head having indicia andsignal bands 2, 3 as in Fig. 1.

It will be observed that the modification in Fig. 7 combines theprinciples of the modifications in Figs. 1 and 6. Although the indicatordevice I (Fig. '7) is much shorter than said device in Fig. 1, yet itpreserves the distinction between the head 6 and shaft In. The latterprotrudes from the corner-piece 3| as does the cylinder 22 in respect tothe ledge 21 in Fig. 6, thus providing a finger-piece 33 which is theequivalent of any of the finger-pieces i4, 23. The screw of Fig. 6 isnow employed to act as an adjustable stop in respect to the bore end3'11. Said screw is now designated 34.

The shoulder 35 at the juncture between the head 6 and shaft In isabuttable with that portion of the corner-piece 3| that carries theshaft, thus to limit the pulling motion of the indicator device. Theledge 23 constitutes the carrier, and it has a window 4 as in the othermodifications, through which the indicia and signal bands can be seen inthe manner brought out above.

The operation has already been described in some detail, for whichreason it is thought unnecessary to state more than to point out that inall modifications the indicator device operates on the principle ofpushing and pulling, either to reveal the signal band 3 in combinationwith the indicia band 2, or to conceal the signal band and leave onlythe indicia band open to view, at the same time providing for theturning of the indicator device, regardless of which of the twopositions it may be in. The indicator comprises the device I and thecarrier 5, regardless of what the nature of the latter may be. It isherein shown as the top of a table, but it may comprise some equivalentwhich has a window through which the indicia and signal bands can beviewed.

The carrier functions as a part of the combination because the shoulderswhich it has are used to limit the push and pull movements of theindicatordevice. Moreover, a portion of the carrier is required toconceal at least one of the bands; the signal band 3 in this instance.

The card-table must be equipped with two of the indicators, one for thenorth and south players who are partners, and one for the east and westplayers who also are partners. After a hand has been played, the onedevice is set at the points won by the two partners on their own- Afterthe next hand is dealt it isindicator. not permitted to ask the scorebut it is permissible to look at the score and it is important that thescore is known at all times, and if the score is kept as usual on ascore pad it cannot be readily seen, while with this device it is easilyseen by all four players.

I claim:

1. An indicator comprising a table portion having a window and a recessdefining a pair of end shoulders, an indicator device having a headpartly occupying said recess but being shorter than the recess, saidhead having contiguous indicia and signal bands adapted to be seenthrough said window, a shaft included in said device being of less sizethan the head, and bearings slidably and turnably attachingthe shaft tothe table. portion andmaintaining said head in. the recess inregistration with said end shoulders, thereby to limit the push and pullmovements of said device by the engagements of the head with therespective shoulders.

2. An indicator comprising a table portion having a window and a recessdefining a pair of end shoulders, an indicator. device having a headpartly occupying said recess but being shorter than the recess, saidhead having contiguous indicia and signal bands adapted to be seenthrough said window, a shaft included in Said device being of less sizethan the head, bearings slidably and turnably attaching the shaft to thetable portion and maintaining said head in the recess in registrationwith said end shoulders, thereby to limit the push and pull movements ofsaid device by the engagements of the head with the respectiveshoulders, and brake means to restrict the free turning and pushing orpulling movements of the indicator device.

ARMIN J. DIECKMANN.

